Columbia Pledges $100 Million to Diversity Initiative

Early this month, Columbia University announced a pledge of $100 million committed to diversify its faculty and provide career development for professors and students from historically underrepresented groups, media outlets have reported.

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The New York institution, with one of the most diverse student bodies in the Ivy League, had in 2005 announced an $85 million diversity initiative that created professional development programs to diversify the faculty, NewsOne reports. This new initiative extends the university’s efforts to recruit and retain diverse faculty and students.

“Each of our schools is dedicated to using these resources for recruiting the most talented faculty, retaining our diverse community, and supporting critical research,” Columbia University President Lee Bollinger told Columbia News, NewsOne reports. “This is a longstanding initiative inseparable from Columbia’s identity and core values.”

Dr. Dennis Mitchell, vice provost for faculty diversity and inclusion at Columbia University, is quoted as saying, “Diversity changes the climate and the culture of the university. We can’t have excellence without diversity, and the belief that they are separate things is a fallacy.”

Corporate Diversity

In the spring of this year, Columbia announced a partnership with historically black colleges to foster greater diversity in the business arena, NewsOne reports. Through a fellowship, eligible students at select HBCUs receive full tuition for master’s programs at Columbia’s School of Professional Studies. Internships and access to mentors are also part of the initiative.